Seepage-intercepting attachment for dashboards



Feb. 10, 1925.

H. HOFFMAN ET AL S'EEHQB LNTERCEPTING ATTACHMENT FOR DASHBOARDS Filed April 19, 1919 Patented Feb. 10, 1925.

HARRY HOFFMAN AND LOUIS HOFFMAN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

SEEPAGE-INTEBCEPTING ATTACHMENT FOR DASHBOAR-DS.

Application filed April 19, 1919. Serial No. 291,357.

To (all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HARRY HOFFMAN and Louis HOFFMAN, citizens of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Seepage-Intercepting r'ittachments for Dashboards; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to motor vehicles and more particularly to means for preventing short circuiting by rain and wash water seepage, of the electrical instruments carried by the dash board.

In some motor vehicles and particularly in the Ford car, the front end of the cowl has a depending flange that is bolted against the rear face of the dash board, the rear end of the hood overlapping the upper edge of the dash board and a contiguous portion of the cowl. Water falling upon the cowl, runs forwardly and downwardly of it, a part seeping between the cowl flange and the rear face of the dash board and a part seeping between the cowl and dash board edge and the hood and passing down the front face of the dash board.

It is the object of the present invention to provide an attachment that may be applied to the upper edge portion of the dash board, without in anywise modifying the original parts of the vehicle and which will arrest such seepage water and conduct it laterally and discharge it beyond the instruments so as not to affect them.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a-perspective view of the attachment looking at its rear side.

Figure 2 is a vertical section taken longitudinally of the forward portion of the cowl and the rear portion of the hood of a motor vehicle and including the dash board, an electrical instrument carried by the board, being in elevation.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the attachment in place upon the dash board.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown the dash board 10 of a motor vehicle through which are formed the usual openings for the passage of the various circuit Wires 11 leading from the various instruments with which the dash board may be equipped, and one of which instruments is illustrated at 12.

The attachment illustrated and e1nbodying the present invention is in the form of a casing for the upper edge portion of the dash board. This casing includes a to) member 13 which is disposed upon the upper edge of the dash board and continues along its curvature substantially to the straight side edges of the board. From the front edge of the top member 13 there depends a wall 14: that is fitted against the front face of the dash board and extends throughout the length of the member 18. From the wall 1%, the metal of which the casing is formed, is extended forwardly and then upwardly as shown at 15 and 16 respectively, the portion 16 terminating below and inwardly of the member 13.

The front wall let has its lower edge portion arched as has also the portion 16 and the portion 15 is correspondingly curved so that there results a gutter that extends laterally and downwardly in both directions from the center of the attachment.

From the rear edge of the top member 13 there depends a wall 17, of somewhat greater downward extent than thewall 14 and the lower edge of which is arched and has extending rearwardly from it a portion 18 from which there extends upwardly, parallel to and spaced from the wall 17, a portion 19 that terminates materially below the member 13. The wall 17 with the portions 18 and 19 provide a second gutter, the wall 17 being fitted closely against the rear face of the dash board.

The cowl 20 has the usual depending flange 21 which is disposed against the wall 17 and with its lower edge portion within and spaced from the rear side 19 of the gutter. The wall 17 and the parts sustained by it terminates short of the ends of the top member 13 of the casing to permit of application of the usual retaining bolts 22 that are passed through the cowl flange and the dash board to hold them together.

The hood 23, after the application of the attachment, rests with its rear edge portion upon the cowl, as formerly.

lVith the construction described it will be of course understood that any water from any source, that seeps between the cowl flange and the dash board will be caught in the rear gutter and conveyed transversely of the board and discharged beyond the instruments sustained by it while the same treatment will be given by the forward gut ter, to any water that, seeping between the hood and the dash board would otherwise run down with the damaging effect noted.

In practice, the material. of which the attachment is termed, has such resiliency and the attachment itself is so proportioned that it may be sprung over the dash board to prevent rattling.

\Vhat is claimed is:

l. A motor vehicle dash board attachment comprising a pair of spaced gutters connected at one side with a resultant clashreceiving channel between them.

2. The combination of a dash board; an attachment comprising a pair of spaced parallel gutters connected together by an in tervening portion constituting with their inner side walls a channel fitted on the top edge of the dash board; with a cowl having a depending flange extending into one of the gutters.

3. The combination with a motor vehicle dash board of a pair of spaced parallel gutters disposed transversely of the front and rear faces of the dash board respectively and connected together at one side, the connecting portion covering the upper edge of the dash board.

a. A motor vehicle dash board attachment comprising an integral body of metal formed to provide a pair of spaced gutters connected at one side with a resultant dash receiving channel between them, one of the gutters terminating at both ends short of the other gutter.

5. A protector "tor coil boxes and coil box terminals of automobiles, comprising a member formed with a channel portion adapted to embrace the dash board, with a portion extending forwardly when applied to the dash and adapted to drain water away from the coil box terminals. and with a portion extending rearwardly and adapted to drain water away "from the coil box.

In testimony whereof, we atlix our signatures, in the presence of a witness.

HARRY HOFFMAN. LOUIS HOFFMAN. il'itness:

Gno. H. UHANDLEE. 

